The use of mercury-silver amalgam materials as dental fillings is well known, and such compositions have been used in the field of dentistry for over 150 years. Mercury in amalgam form is relatively inert in the human mouth. During cremation, however, mercury content of amalgam becomes vaporized and released into the environment via the flue gases from the crematorium. As a result, the released mercury contaminates air, soil and water in the surrounding areas. Once deposited into the lakes and rivers, the mercury converts into methyl mercury, where it can enter the food chain and accumulate in the tissues of living organisms.
In general, there have been many attempts to control and regulate the levels of mercury in the environment. Laws have been enacted which regulate the amount of use and release of mercury in the industrial sector. More recently, attention has been drawn to the release of mercury associated with the funerary industry and the crematorial emissions. Currently, smokestack scrubbers are employed in an effort to control such emissions. Scrubbing systems are, however, expensive and require both short- and long-term maintenance.
Alternative techniques include the physical removal of the decedent's teeth prior to cremation. Numerous mechanical tooth extractors have been developed. Rigor mortis can render access to and removal of the decedent's teeth very difficult. There are also the social implications and discomfort associated with disfigurement and desecration-like techniques to the corpse by the survivors. Other techniques have been developed to control or handle mercury. These include complex techniques such as laser amalgam ablation, dental trap filtration and chemical deactivation of free mercury.
There exists a need in the field of cremation and funerary preparations for simple, cost-effective methods and techniques to reduce or control environmental release of mercury in dental amalgams in a non-disfiguring pre-crematorial manner.